Police union stands with Trump: ‘Next president of the United States’

A New England police union is poised to formally throw its support behind Republican front runner Donald Trump at an event in New Hampshire Thursday.

The New England Police Benevolent Association will be holding a “presidential candidate’s forum” in Portsmouth tomorrow night for the purposes of endorsing a candidate. Donald Trump is scheduled to appear, his campaign tells Seacoast Online.

According to NEPBA executive director Jerry Flynn, the union will be endorsing Trump, “or no one.”

But if Flynn’s personal Facebook page is any indication, the regional union will be standing with The Donald.

There, Flynn wrote Trump would be “The NEXT president of the United States of America,” after a meeting with him in New York City December 1.

Flynn says he and three other union executives met with Trump in Manhattan as a part of a vetting process. After the meeting, Flynn said Trump has an “interesting vision for protecting police officers and correction officers on what he will do on his first day in office.”

The NEPBA sent a letter to all the candidates inviting them to participate in the candidates’ forum and only two committed: Trump and Jeb Bush. But then Bush backed out.

“In fact, the New England PBA will NOT endorse any candidate who does NOT personally attend our candidate forum,” Flynn wrote to the candidates, according to the news site.

Flynn and the NEPBA would be the first police officers to stand with Trump.

Hahn was a part of an ad hoc group of officers that protected Trump as he made an unannounced visit to The Barclays PGA golf tournament held in Edison, New Jersey.

“I’m a cop first, Democratic Chairman second and will always conduct myself with dignity and respect,” Hahn told the Star-Ledger.

Edison police were given 10-minutes notice that the billionaire real estate mogul was showing up. Hahn and five other officers were responsible for tailing Trump.

The Democratic club chairman said Trump was “a gentleman and I appreciate his visit to Edison,” according to the paper.

Hahn’s fellow Democrats took issue with the photo showing both Hahn and Trump with big smiles and thumbs up.

“Chairman Hahn seems unaware that he needs to change parties in order to support Trump and his idea that being divisive is not a part of the Democrats who vote in Edison Township,” Anthony Russomanno, a longtime Hahn foe and aide to Democratic Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey says.

But Russomanno neglected to mention that his own boss also posed with the Republican front runner.

“As Mayor of Edison, it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome celebrities, sports figures, and dignitaries, including politicians from both parties to our community,” Lankey said midst the kerfuffle. “That is just one of my many official duties.”

Police Chief Thomas Bryan said he saw no problem with one of his officers posing for a photo with Trump.